1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bird bath with an automatic water level control and air lift fountain.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Providing water to attract birds is a popular practice in rural, suburban and urban communities. Unfortunately, pressures imposed by modern civilization have resulted in severe demands on most individuals time. This results in neglected low priority tasks such as keeping bird water sources, usually in the form of bird baths, filled with fresh water. This defeats the purpose of establishing bird baths to attract birds by providing fresh water sources which also contribute to the well-being of birds and humans alike.
When a bird bath is allowed to go dry, the resident bird population moves to a new site and the insect population increases. When the water in a bird bath is allowed to become stagnant, it quickly becomes contaminated and a breeding ground for mosquitoes and a multitude of diseases which disseminate the bird population and are harmful to humans as well.
Attempts to solve the foregoing problems have been made by providing an automatic water source for bird baths. One such attempt is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,035 for "Multi-Purpose Automatic Filling and Leveling Fluid Basin with Water Transfer". In this attempt, a fluid diaphragm valve, such as the type used in toilets and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,606, regulates water flow into a basin which may be adapted to function as a bird bath. Unfortunately there is no means to eliminate contamination caused by bird excrement. The water level in the basin is maintained constant but it quickly becomes stagnant and a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Another example of an attempt to improve bird baths is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 4,362,126 for "Bird Shower". This Patent teaches the concept of a pressure sensitive switch adapted to energized an electric motor which drives a pump to transfer water from a reservoir to a shower head. This device eliminates stagnation of the water but does not solve the problem of maintaining water in the reservoir.